Henry V Literary Analysis

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Over the course of Shakespeare's play’s, Henry IV and Henry V, the character of Henry V evolves from a crazy kid to a solid King. In Henry IV, the Prince’s irresponsible behavior is expressed to the audience as a joke, and that he means to grow up and mature once he becomes king, so that his miraculous transformation will be more magnificent. Henry's development as he evolves from Prince Hal to King Henry V of England is significant, but not complete. Despite the seeming perfection of his courtly manners, traces of the disorderly Prince Hal still emerge in King Henry's behavior, particularly when he is in stressful or emotional situations. Henry V seems to be prone to using deceit when it is the easiest way to obtain a goal, liable to play mean-spirited pranks when he feels the urge and susceptible to making rash decisions when angry. These faults indicate that while Henry has taken on a more kingly persona, this self is not as different from Prince Hal as he had intended. The first of Henry's flaws to which readers are introduced is the King's tendency to make unwise choices when angry. At a meeting with his advisors at the beginning of the play, Henry debates the validity of his claim to the throne of France. He asks Canterbury if England's claim to France is strong enough to go to war over with the strict injunction to tell the truth, because "never two such kingdoms did contend without much fall of blood, whose guiltless drops are every one a woe"(I.ii.24-26). King Henry tells Canterbury that war must only be waged for just and valid reasons since it "makes such waste in brief mortality"(I.ii.28). The King gives the impression of a man who values human life greatly and appreciates the sacrifices that are inescapable in any war. He and his advisors are still talking when a messenger from the Dauphin arrives, holding a gift from France. King Henry is gracious
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